If like me you are just recovering from the hottest day of the year, so far, spare a thought for our wonderful garden staff who are having to water all the baskets and container every day, somedays up to twice a day. The temperature in our main glasshouse got up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) on the 25th July!
With that said the range of colours this year is spectacular and the hydrangeas are giving a particularly good display. We have started to reduce the grass cutting in some areas to prevent the stressing of the grass and to help keep it a lovely green colour. Our new terrace furniture is proving very popular and is getting plenty of use. We have added a few chairs and tables to the Walled Garden for those that want a different view and scenery and would be a great place to enjoy one of our hotel picnic hampers.
Wildlife in the Park
The Walled Garden is proving very popular with the wildlife; the Verbena bonariensis we planted in the spring are now in full flower and are covered with bees, butterflies and other insects getting the rich pollen from its flowers. August is the time when you are most likely to see more young deer around our stunning grounds and what a pleasure they are to see. We have left some areas around the estate to go a bit wild, encouraging more wildlife and so far the signs show that we are attracting more wildlife. At the end of August, we have our Elite in Residence, ‘Bat Walk’ with the help of the Sussex Wildlife Trust which is now sold out, we can't wait as it is sure to be a really interesting evening!
Garden Tips
- Keep baskets and containers watered, avoid letting the compost drying out
- Raise the height of cut on the lawnmower, will help keep the grass green
- Good time of year to take soft wood cutting e.g. Geraniums and Dahlias
- Trim hedges including topiary
- Keep ponds and bird baths topped up with water
Happy Gardening
Kevin Sweet